Monday, 31 March 2008

Following on from recent previous postings regarding the arguably freemasonic, certainly ceremonious, French State visit to the UK and messages encoded in maritime nautical disasters:

This time a trawler, the archipelago Iles de la Madeleine based L'Arcadien, capsized on March 29th, the second day of the annual Canadian seal hunt in Newfoundland - tragically with the loss of four seal clubbers lives.

From the wikipedia Magdalen Islands entry (as linked above):

In 1755, the islands were inhabited by French-speaking Acadians. When the British expelled the Arcadians from the rest of what is now the Maritime Provinces of Canada, they did not come as far as the Magdalen Islands.

And the Acadians, from where the ship took her name:

"In the Great Expulsion of 1755, around 4000 to 5000 Acadians were deported from Acadia under the direction of British colonial officers and New England legislators and militia; many later settled in Lousiana, where they became known as Cajuns. Later on many Acadians returned to the Maritime provinces of Canada, most specifically New Brunswick. During the British conquest of New France the French colony of Acadia was renamed Nova Scotia (meaning New Scotland)."

"Historian John Mack Faragher has used the contemporary term, "ethnic cleansing," to describe the British actions."And Acadia ? From your dictionary - Arcadien

"Aca·dia (ə kā′dē ə)

region & former French colony (1604-1713) on the NE coast of North America, including what are now the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, plus parts of Quebec and parts of Maine

Etymology: Fr Acadia, prob. < Archadia, name given by Giovanni da Verrazano (1524), after Arcadia, place of rural peace.

Arcadia, the seemingly "proverbial" land where we note, again from the wikipedia entry:

"Subsequently it has become a poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled wilderness filled with the bounties of nature and inhabited by shepherds (having more or less the same connotation as Utopia), and as a concept originated in Renaissance mythology. The inhabitants were often regarded as having continued to live after the manner of the Golden Age, without the pride and avarice that corrupted other regions."

"The Libertines, especially Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, use Arcadia as the destination their ship Albion is sailing towards. " It is thought of as a place without rules or authority, where cigarettes grow on trees"

Same day this year that the Red Arrows mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of the Royal Air Force by flying nine aerobatic jets, in a maybe magickal formation beside four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, along the river Thames to the London Eye - itself the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, standing at 135 metres or 443 feet, height's which, bizarrely perhaps, numerically total 9 and 11.

From the Armed Forces News of 29/3:"The flypast will include the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, along with four examples of the service’s most recently-inducted combat aircraft – the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Its route over London will begin slightly south of London City Airport, passing Canary Wharf and Tower Bridge. The flypast is scheduled to be over the London Eye at 1300 hrs."

"On further reflection I remembered the symbols of the Rosicrutian A.M.O.R.C (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) as I have been reading their official manual. Inside on page 49 we see symbols very similar in design to the London Eye."

Friday, 28 March 2008

Casting back to my comments on the number 3 and its numeric cubik form of 27 in relation to the signing of the European Treaty of Lisbon, then perhaps one would be looking to yesterday, the 27th of March, for further clues as to our potential and pre-packed future.

We see that French President Nicolas Sarkozy concluded his hectic visit to the UK, bringing the two day summit to an end by giving a press conference jointly with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, at Arsenal Football Club's Emirates Stadium in North London.

It seems matters did not go entirely to plan, certainly according to the Press Association running order issued in the morning, which gave the "UK France summit time" as 11.30. The duo apparently ran late, and as such, matters did not properly begin until 13.00 or so. Both schedule and actual time details are available here, courtesy of Guardian News.

Speaking to reporters on the pitch ahead of formal talks, Mr Brown announced a joint British-Franco initiative to help to bring education to 16 million children in Africa. "Our two countries are at the heart of what we want to be an outward looking and globally focused Europe"

"The communique was particularly detailed about planned cooperation on defence projects - including "a joint industrial strategy for complex weapons" and co-operation to "develop European military capabilities".

Now it may just be coincidence that from today's Daily Express we see that there was a massive and unprecedented "army style" 600 strong police raid in the North London borough of Finsbury Park at 14.15 yesterday, a place "very close" to the new football stadium according to wikipedia.

Then again, it may not, especially if one considers the significance of the number 33 to the freemasonic cause and that:

"The 600 officers were part of a 1,122-strong unit"

For 1,122, or eleven hundred and twenty two, is perhaps 11 plus 22, totalling 33Or, going back to 3, the source of the cube and where we commenced, we could suggest 1122/3 = 374, the 7 and the 4 then amalgamating to a convenient 11 with the 3 remaining.Or maybe even 33 x 34 - a step "up"?

Monday, 24 March 2008

Readers who have stayed on board with the spirit of my recent postings concerning maritime messages encoded in virtual disasters - Astral, the Red Sea of Pennan and, very relevantly as will transpire, the ancient burial cairn trail of The Spinningdale - will no doubt be stricken by this tale of yet another "heaven sent" nautical nod towards our captivating future.This time we travel to the East Lothian coastal village of Dunbar, to hear the sorry story of local Royal National Lifeboat Institution craft,the Sir Ronald Pechell, the boat tearing free of her home-base mooring during a ferocious storm before smashing against rocks at nearby nuclear Torness, the unmanned vessel receiving significant stuctural damage.

The incident took place, according to the BBC website, at "about 2250" on 21st March, close enough(bearing in mind my previous postings) to a symbolic eleven minutes to eleven to excite my curiosity; and hopefully yours.

The unlucky lifeboat was named after Sir Ronald Horace Pechell, the 9th Baronet of the Pechell Baronetcy - a Baronetcy which itself would end with his death on 29th January 1984 - the line having started back on 1st March 1797 with Sir Paul Pechell, a Royal Dragoon army officer who's Huguenot (French Calvinist) semi-noble grandfather had fled France after "religious" persecution in order to begin a fresh life in Ireland.Further investigation into the source of the ancient name Pechell reveals:

"A coat of arms associated with the name has the blazon of a blue shield charged with a silver eagle displayed.""Introduced into the British Isles at or shortly after the famous Norman Invasion of 1066, it derives from the word "pech" meaning sin or sinful"

And yet whilst Dunbar, home village of the lifeboat,also possesses an ancient and historic history, it is to her most famous former inhabitant that must I draw your attention; for this small village is birthplace of none other than famed naturalist John Muir, a man who later emigrated to the United States and subsequently founded The Sierra Club.Readers may need to be reminded that it was in fact John Muir Trust Land where Fran Lockhart, partnership manager of the trust itself, captured the ominous and significant white stag on camera recently

Torness, where the ship was wrecked, a combination of two words,

Tor, "probably of Celtic origin" and remarkably similar to cairn:

A high rock or pile of rocks on the top of a hill.

A rocky peak or hill.

Ness:

A cape or headland.

Just a few miles up the coast from Dunbar lies North Berwick and her landmark Law - a curious pyramid shaped hill, once topped with an upturned whalebone.

Then, if that were not enough, out of the blue on Saturday I received an e mail referring to my MacLantis post and suggesting that I read an article called The Pyramids of Scotland by Jeff Nisbet; the sender in the process also remarking further on North Berwick Law .Digging into the aforementioned article - which I would thoroughly recommend - and it's various astronomically, and other, based "theories", I was somewhat startled to find a direct link to the Hill of Tara in Ireland.

"I then drew a line from the May, through the Lamb and the exact midpoint between Rosslyn and Temple, just to see where it might lead. It led to a tiny spot called Tara, far away in Ireland, where the high kings of that land were crowned—kings descended from Scota and Gaythelos."

Startled, because it was just last week that I watched Her Majesty the Queen "breaking centuries of tradition" by visiting Armagh, not too far north of Tara, on Maundy Thursday, the day before the shipwreck, in order to ceremoniously present alms purses and coins, to 164 (add it up) "poor people".

"Representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Hindu faiths have also attended the service, at which the Catholic Primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, and the Duke of Edinburgh gave readings."

"Maundy Thursday has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian Church."

Armagh, built on the site of:"Emain Macha (or Navan Fort) at the city's edge, is believed to have been used as an ancient pagan ritual or ceremonial site. According to Irish mythology it was once the capital of Ulster, until it was abandoned during the 1st century CE. The site was named after the goddess Macha, and as the settlement grew on the hills nearby, it was also named after the goddess — Ard Macha means "The Height of Macha".

Yet Maundy Thursday can be seen in a different light - from 33 degree freemason Jim Shaw:

"In the Scottish Rite the Thursday before Easter, "Maundy Thursday," is an important day. On this day we always performed a special service of Communion in the local Scottish Rite Temple. At this time I was Wise Master in the Chapter of Rose Croix and it was my job to preside over the exemplification (dramatization) of the ceremony. I had done this many times and was known for my knowledge of the service and for "doing a good job" of putting it on."

"After this we took our places at the table shaped like a cross and sat down. The setting was dark, our long, sweeping robes were solid black, our faces nearly concealed in the hoods, and the mood was one of heavy gloom. The Christ-less prayers and the hymns we sang fit right in. The one word that would describe the entire event would be "black." It was, indeed, a Black Communion - a strange Black Mass."

And, in a similar multi-religious angle as Her Majesty's ceremony:

"Instructions and signs were given. Upon the altar were four "holy books" (the Bible, the Koran, the Book of the Law and the Hindu Scriptures)"

Of course I don't only have to rely on the words of Mr Nisbet, nor the ominous white stag , for what may seem a slender Royal connection between the two events, my faith is further compounded by the bloodline of Sir Paul Pechell, his potentially sinful grandfather fleeing France to Ireland, and Sir Paul's occupation himself, military equine with the Royal Dragoons,the same regiment as Prince Harry and featured in my posting of last October, The Magic of the Antiques Roadshow.

More tellingly though perhaps, Ness, in Irish mythology, was an Ulster princess

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Today I saw a lady blackbird with a large twig in her mouth and I thought of her nest, under construction somewhere nearby, well out of the prying eyes of potential predators and disguised perfectly to blend in with the background.

Yet had I did not already known that birds make nests to lay eggs and rear their young, I could have been somewhat mystified as to the reason for the bird's burden, perhaps imagining erroneously that the twig was for another purpose. It may have taken some hours - maybe even days - of observation, to ascertain what exactly she was up to.

Our current world situation is comparable - although working on a far greater time scale. All around us we see the twiglets of "change": the development of the "old third world", the imposition of a new European order, the economic collapse of America (and her knock on effects), the fight against "global warming".

Tuesday, 18 March 2008

There can be few in the new world who have not heard of madcap, crazy - call him what you will - Rolf Harris.

Standing at the giant canvas with decorators roller in hand, gracious Rolf would draw what seemed a random doodle of squiggles and suchlike, often interluding the genius at work with his catchphrase: Can you see what it is yet? That was television back in the seventies.

Unfortunately, to my untrained eye, I never could see anything, well not until Rolf administered his final flourish and somewhat miraculously a work of artistic grandeur would reveal itself, amazingly completely hidden only a few seconds and roller strokes prior.

Of course, looking back, it was an act of supreme delusion. Rolf had craftily constructed his routine in that very manner, planning and plotting exactly how to administer those final touches in order to provide the maximum of entertainment and suspense to us, the watching viewers.

Monday, 17 March 2008

Sunday, 16 March 2008

Few readers will have forgotten, or should that be allowed to forget, heroic, kilt wearing Glasgow Airport baggage handler - John "Smeato" Smeaton - the man who took on the "terrorists" when they attempted to ram-raid his workplace and since has become a worldwide celebrity, cutting records, writing a newspaper column, even receiving a Gallantry Medal from the Queen amongst numerous other bravery awards. O

Yet, extraordinary revelations in today's Sunday Express reveal that workmates, who were idling at a cigarette break along with Smeaton at the 3.11pm attack time, have stated that John "grossly exaggerated" his role in the affair; in fact simply continuing to puff on his cigarette until called to help by fellow employee Mary McCandlish who was attempting to single handedly pull a member of the public away from the blazing vehicle and subsequently received a somewhat paltry pair of cinema tickets for her brave efforts.

There appears to be various theories behind this somewhat unbalanced state of affairs, some are saying that it was Smeato's support of Glasgow Rangers football team that influenced matters, others that it was simply because he took to the media limelight like a mason to secrets.

Perhaps the real reason will remain "hidden" in time honoured tradition although maybe, just maybe, John's surname reveals all.

Wednesday, 12 March 2008

After yesterday mornings close call with the cornflakes, I opted for an egg.

"The Lion Quality mark, which is a registered trademark, can only be used by subscribers to the BEIC on eggs which have been produced in accordance with UK and EU law and the Lion Quality Code of Practice."

"Approximately 85% of UK eggs are now produced to Lion Quality standards."

Tuesday, 11 March 2008

Recalling the recent Spinningdale/St. Kilda maritime incident, I bring you news of further mysterious nautical communication from Monday.

This time, the vessel involved was Astral, an 11,000 tonne Swedish registered tanker which hit a shallow bank called the Princessa Shoal, near Bembridge, on the historically important Isle of Wight. Although there were an unlucky 13 crew on board, miraculously perhaps, there was no loss of life in the force 11 gales.

Theosophy. noting a supersensible substance pervading all space and forming the substance of a second body (astral body) belonging to each individual. It accompanies the individual through life, is able to leave the human body at will, and survives the individual after death.

It's a cliche, but I nearly choked on my cornflakes this morning when I read , headlined on the BBC, that a government review of British citizenchip has suggested that it might be a good idea if school leavers were "encouraged to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen" thus somehow creating more "social cohesion".

I turned to the cereal box instead, yet somehow my thoughts turned to her grandson, Bonnie Prince William; how he was wrenched from poor Di's womb during an eclipse thus somehow replacing the sun as he was born.

Friday, 7 March 2008

Last week, I showed the front page of the local Edinburgh Evening News and quoted:

"What is more, no less than the written word, the coin acted upon the culture and mental categories of people who made use of it. Like a seal displaying the king in majesty, the coin broadcast the image of the ruler to his people..."

Here is yesterdays post Harry front page, note again the lion festooned coin to the right.

Just for the record, the owners of the Evening News are a company called Johnston Press Digital Publishing who own a large number of small local newspapers and local digital television stations. Information on who actually owns JPDP is extremely scant.

Thursday, 6 March 2008

Contrary to popular belief, a lion's share is not the greater part of a subdivision of a whole, rather the original meaning is all of that whole. So the lion's share of a cake is the whole cake.

Over at Royal Holyrood Park, the Lion of Scotland sculpture has the share of the park now, all the other animals have been transported elsewhere for display. It appears that this lion is so well loved that he might indeed remain for good - we should know within a month.